The holidays are a time for giving, but some Canadians seem to be grabbing loonies instead of $10 bills when donating to charity.

A new study released Thursday by the Fraser Institute says the percentage of income that Canadians donate to registered charities each year has plummeted by 32 per cent since 2006.

鈥淐anadians continue to donate less and less every year, which means charities face greater challenges to help those in need this holiday season and throughout the year,鈥� said Jason Clemens, Fraser Institute executive vice-president.

The study ranked the 64 Canadian provinces, territories and U.S. states from most generous to least, based on income statements in 2016.

In that year, about one in five Canadian tax filers claimed charitable donations on their tax returns, compared to nearly one in five of their American counterparts.

In 2016, Canadians offered about 0.53 per cent of their income to charities, compared to 0.78 per cent in 2006.

The most generous province, territory or state in North America is Utah. The least was Nunavut.

In Canada, the most generous area was Manitoba, which ranked 42nd overall. B.C., in which taxpayers are contributing 19 per cent less than in 2006, placed 54th overall.

ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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